As August begins, so too does San Rafael High School’s academic year. A flood of informational emails are sent to thousands of students, staff, and relatives, but “Action Needed” was only sent to students signed up for the February 2026 trip to Vietnam.
Ms. Suzanne Truett, the organizer of SR’s school trips, sent the email on the morning of August 25th to explain that the set travelling dates would overlap with Lunar New Year, or Tết Nguyên Đán, one of the country’s national holidays. She said the celebrations had already made booking hotels a difficult process, and that people are expected to fill the streets.
The trip will continue with its original destination of Vietnam but, as of that August morning, there was a need to reevaluate and perhaps change plans before a decision was made.
“EF and I agree that continuing with the current itinerary on our scheduled dates will not provide the quality experience we’re all looking forward to,” wrote Truett in the email. “That said, there’s a great alternative option I wanted to share with you: Treasures of Thailand.”
“I didn’t really mind it,” said SR senior Leslye Rivera, about the almost-change of plans. “But I was also really sad because I wanted to go to Vietnam.” Having gone to SR’s Japan trip in her sophomore year, Rivera knew what to be ready for, but changing scenery meant changing what students should prepare for, too. “I was actually learning Vietnamese a little bit, so I felt like oh, everything would be a change of plans.”
This is when [email protected] started adding on to her email chain. Thursday, August 28th, she informed students of an upcoming meeting with the travel company in an attempt to remain with Vietnam. August 29th brought another message, “fingers crossed that we can still make this work. I will let you know as soon as I do,” until finally, “GOOD NEWS!!”
It was announced that the trip to Vietnam was on, as long as there were ten paying customers. At the time the email was sent, there were eleven.
As of September 19th, there were twelve students and two chaperones ready to go.
Thailand was a backup plan presented by “EF” or Education First Student Travel, the program that Ms. Truett works with to plan trips. Her work with them began her second year at SR, when the teacher in charge of planning before her moved on and wrote a recommendation for Truett.
The EF website boasts “experiential learning” opportunities, advertising travel made specifically to “bring education to life” beyond the classroom. Thailand is yet another of the company’s pre-planned itineraries for Asia, presented for its similar weather and cost to make the change easy for students. Both EF and Ms. Truett describe worries about how high costs can affect students’ experiences. Other tours include Latin America, Europe, Africa, Canada, the US, and the South Pacific.
The fact remains that the trip overlaps with Lunar New Year. Difficulties that have forced changes to be made to the itinerary continue existing. Articles like A Traveller’s Guide to Tet Holiday or The Vietnamese Holiday warn travellers of whole cities going quiet, limited dining and shopping options, and the need to “book transportation and accommodation far in advance.”
Lunar New Year is a major holiday, when people from all over the world are travelling within the country to connect with their roots. My Nguyen, a Vietnamese SR student who wished she were able to go on the trip, called it a time when “families reunite and traditions come alive.” She described the festivities as beautiful and vibrant, expressing disappointment at having to miss it for other plans.
Special Education teacher Kate Porter, having acted as chaperone to the Japan trip, praised the “whirlwind, see-as-much-as-you-possibly-can-before-you-get-home-tour” style of travel. “I mean, trying to do that myself? I would have seen a tenth of it.” She agreed though, that a holiday at the same time might be too much for her. “There are surprises that happen because you’re just in a new place,” she added, explaining the early blossoming of the cherry trees and the crowds they drew. “I don’t think I would choose to sightsee when I know there’s gonna be even bigger crowds than normal.”
Myrna Escobar went on the 2025 Spring Break trip to Rome and Italy and was surprised by the massive crowds. It turned out that SR was there during Holy Week, a major celebration of Christianity that had people flocking to the Vatican at the same time as the students. “It definitely got overwhelming at times,” said Myrna. She said it changed the experience, as travellers are “just one of many tourists” instead of submerged in local life.
Despite any complications, students going on the trip are excited. “I’m lowkey hyped as hell,” said Rivera. “I know the streets might be packed and the stores and war memorials are gonna be closed, but to see everything during Lunar New Year would be really fun and festive.”
“I think it’s gonna be cool to see how Lunar New Year is celebrated there,” added Leila Majdoubi, who will be experiencing her first ever school trip when going to Vietnam. “And I knew for like a year that the trip was going to be during the holiday,” she said, “[My friend] found out and told me.” Majdoubi said she’s still looking forward to new experiences and foods. “Anywhere with a good Banh Mi.”
